


Comparison

by theundeadsiren (rhoen)



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: M/M, Polyamory, Wordcount: under 1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 10:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3443591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhoen/pseuds/theundeadsiren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So who, in Simon's opinion, is the better kisser?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comparison

**Author's Note:**

> Un-beta'd. As always.

**You may not take this fic and edit or reupload it - in whole or in part - without my express permission. This includes translations**

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Thank you for respecting my wishes

* * *

 

If you’d have asked him at the start of their relationship who was the better kisser, Simon would have instantly replied that it was Kieren. He wouldn’t have even hesitated. He’d always known that he was beyond lucky to have been given this chance, because he couldn’t think of anyone else he’d ever known who’d been offered the same thing – threesomes, maybe, but to actually be allowed into what was clearly a very deeply-established relationship… every time he kissed Kieren, Simon was reminded of just how lucky he was. He made the most of it, often afraid that each kiss was going to be the last. Things like this didn’t happen, not in the real world. It had felt for so long that he was stealing something from the two of them. They had been through so much together, and that kind of closeness… he could never compete with that, so he didn’t even try. He just treasured each kiss, lingering in the tentative tenderness of it, feeling the heat building up, the intensity, the need. He put so much of himself into those touches, trying desperately to make it last just a moment longer, but always somehow hesitant and afraid that it could end at any time. Kieren was so responsive against him, making Simon forget about everything else when he was with him. And sure, Simon had kissed Rick once or twice, but never with as much care as he kissed Kieren. Rick didn’t need it.

Slowly, though, that’s what he came to love about Rick. At first, Simon had thought that the guy was solid; very little got to him. The first show of insecurity hadn’t really seemed out of place given the nature of their relationship, and to see how tender he was with Kieren wasn’t really that shocking, but what caught Simon by surprise and made him realise just how much trust Rick was putting in him was when Rick had eventually opened up about his past, and hadn’t tried to hide how deeply it still affected him. He felt his failures keenly and took the pain of those he cared about to heart, seeing it as a failure on his part if he couldn’t move mountains to make things better. He drew his strength from helping others.

Simon hadn’t been sure what to do with this vulnerable side of someone who he had, quite honestly, thought was unbelievably thick-skinned. It had taken him some time, but he’d come to realise that Rick didn’t need tenderness and careful touches. He had that with Kieren, anyway. Rick just needed to know that the people he cared about were safe, and happy. Simon came to realise that he was one of those people – he was included in the relationship, not just a spare part or a casual bystander occasionally invited in from the cold. He could kiss Kieren without being afraid that this could end at any time, or that the love he felt wasn’t reciprocated. He could learn to explore this, including with Rick.

Simon came to love the way he could crash against Rick, completely uninhibited and unafraid. Rick would always catch him, always meet his lips as demandingly as Simon met his, and still tease for more. It was almost like a game, he supposed. They could provoke each other good-naturedly, wind each other up, blow off steam and still grin about it afterwards and threaten to go for more. He supposed Rick was the protector of their group –Simon always felt safe and wanted in his arms, even if completely breathless. He loved that Rick could challenge him with a teasing smile, and give anything Simon demanded of him. It was different from the way Simon kissed Kieren, but he wouldn’t change it. He was loved equally, and loved them equally.

So, now, if someone asked who was the better kisser, Simon would think about it for a few minutes with a smile on his face, say he wasn’t sure, and then make his excuses to go ‘check’ with his boyfriends.


End file.
